Fearing possible HIV infection from homeless person.

Sep 6, 2012

So I'm a guitar player and usually head out to the usual park to play, and this particular park is known to have its small homeless population. I recently befriended one of them who is also guitar player (nice guy).

So one day he asked to play my guitar (his had gotten stolen) and I allowed him. But later he asked again and I noticed he had a small cut on his forehead. I pointed it out to him and he wiped the blood off of it and then wiped it on his pants and continued playing.

When he returned it to me, I played for maybe one or two minutes more and applied chapstick to my lips and put it away.

For some strange reason, my OCD won't let the possibility of me contracting HIV from him go. My mind keeps making me think that when I applied chapstick, I had contracted it, even though I didn't see any blood on my fingers.

It's gotten so bad that one night when I had a an allergy attack I was screaming in my head "OH GOD THE HIV IS TAKING ITS TOLL!" And the next day I had the slightest headache and continued to exaggerate it. I feel I just need some re-assurance that I don't have it and hopefully I'll calm down.

Response from Dr. Wohl

There is no way this encounter could lead to transmission of anything let alone HIV. This is not how HIV is transmitted. DW

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.